Ohio Primary Elections: What You Need to Know

The wild 2016 Presidential race comes to Ohio on Tuesday, with both the Republican and Democratic primaries taking place.

Here’s a guide to everything you need to know heading into the Ohio primary which — along with primaries the same day in North Carolina, Florida, Illinois and Missouri — will go a long way to determining the presidential nominee for both major parties.

Who’s on the ballot?

The Democratic Primary is a two-person contest between Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Republican side features a four-way race among businessman Donald Trump, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

What’s happened so far?

On the Democratic side, Sec. Clinton has won 13 states to Sen. Sanders’ nine. The problem for Sen. Sanders is that, despite this close figure, Sec. Clinton has more of what Democrats call ‘super-delegates’ added to the delegates pledged to a candidate for how many votes they get in a primary or caucus.

Super-delegates are elected officials and members of the Democratic National Committee who will vote at the Democratic National Convention for their preferred candidate. Sec. Clinton owns 472 of these delegates to Sen. Sanders’ 23. However, super delegates can switch their votes at any point before the convention.

Overall, Sec. Clinton has a delegate lead of 1,238 (of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination) to Sen. Sanders’ 572.

With the Republicans, it’s a tighter race (and one uncomplicated by super-delegates), yet it also has been dominated by two candidates. Trump has won 15 states and 463 delegates. Sen. Cruz has proved Trump's most formidable foe, winning seven states and 362 delegates.

There’s a pretty big gap between the two frontrunners and Sen. Rubio, who has garnered 155 delegates and two wins — Minnesota and Puerto Rico. Gov. Kasich has yet to win a primary, but has received enough votes to collect 54 delegates. A candidate must have 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination.

What’s at stake in Ohio?

Tuesday’s primaries are considered a turning point in the race, especially on the Republican side, given the number of delegates available. The Democratic winner takes all of their 159 delegates, while the Republican winner will get 66.

Tuesday night is particularly important to Gov. Kasich, who has promised to get out of the race should he lose his home state. Donald Trump has said that, between Florida (Sen. Rubio’s home state) and Ohio, he’s looking to deliver a “knockout” blow that will push him closer to the nomination.

In the Democratic race, Sec. Clinton will be looking to gain back momentum after losing a shocker to Sen. Sanders in Michigan, where some polls had her leading by a double-digit margin.

What do the polls say?

After Sen. Sanders’ win in Michigan, it’s important to remember that polls aren't always right. That said, Sec. Clinton maintains a fairly convincing lead on the self-proclaimed ‘Democratic Socialist.’

A Quinnipiac poll taken between March 2 and March 7 has Sec. Clinton leading by as little as nine points, while a CNN poll has the former First Lady leading by as much as 30 points. The poll was conducted between March 2 and March 6.

The polls show a more closely-contested race on the Republican side. Trump led many polls (and by as many as six points), but Gov. Kasich leads by five points in a recent Fox News poll conducted between March 5 and March 8. Sen. Cruz also rose from recent polling averages to gain third place with 19 percent of the poll. Sen. Rubio has failed to get out of the single digits.

Where/When to vote?

There are several places to vote in Cuyahoga County on Tuesday, with polls first opening at 6:30 a.m. and closing at 7:30 p.m.

For other voting locations and additional information regarding voting, consult the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.